Cheng passed away on April 13 of this year as a result of a tragic car accident in November 2008 that left the bass player in a coma. Deftones had nearly completed Eros at the time of the crash, and the group decided to shelve the record out of respect to Cheng. Instead, the band recruited bassist Sergio Vega of Quicksand and recorded 2010 album Diamond Eyes, which the group felt was a more optimistic record than the much darker Eros.

“At that point, we never really looked backwards, we only started looking forward,” Moreno told L.A. radio station KROQ in an exclusive interview last year. “I think [Eros] really captured that time in our lives, and I don’t think we’re ready to look back at that time just yet. It’s really still fresh, like a fresh wound in a way. So it’s like one day we’ll release it, but right now it’s one of the most personal things that we still deal with every day.”

When asked about the status of Eros in a recent interview at 2013 Golden Gods Awards two weeks ago, the singer was much more optimistic about the album seeing the light of day.

“I think more so now than ever,” Moreno told news service Artisan News in regards to Eros getting a release date. “I actually went back and listened to some of it recently. I don’t know when, but I feel it’s a little more appropriate now for us to think about than in the last three years.”

Rumors regarding the shelved album have run rampant in Deftones’ fan circles for years, from reports that the tunes are longer and more complex than much of the band’s material to indications that all of the album’s songs (such as “Melanie,” which the group has previously performed live) are named after strippers.

The Deftones’ world tour in support of their most recent release, Koi No Yokan (which took Album of the Year honors at this year’s Golden Gods Awards), touches down in America again with a June 2 date in Hawaii. That show is followed by the band’s appearance at Metallica’s Orion Festival, scheduled for Detroit’s Belle Isle on June 8-9.

Scott T. Sterling

Scott T. Sterling
Scott is the rock associate producer for Radio.com. He has previously worked at URB, The Daily Swarm and L.A. Times, where he covered nightlife and music. The Detroit native currently resides in Los Angeles, CA, where he is a...